Floating door bottom sealing device



May 29, 1951 K. o. PIETRUsHAK FLoATING DooR BOTTOM sEALING DEVICE Filed Nov. 17, 1949 Dak r .M W mm W wmpm WL@ /M DU u o. 0M f AJ F12 U ,AQ vU Patented May 29, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to an automatic sealing device for swinging doors, and an object is to produce a new and improved device which can be applied to doors for automatically sealing the space between the bottom edge of the door and the sill when the door is closed.

Another object is to provide a door with a simple and eicient sealing device for sealing the space between the bottom edge of the door and the sill when the door is closed, the rail or bar eiecting the automatic sealing action being of relatively hard metal and the sill being of softer metal so that the sealing bar will automatically form its own sealing groove for more effectively establishing the desired sealing contact between these parts.

Other objects reside in details of construction, arrangement and assembly, and for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying l drawings, in which Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a door frame, a swinging door mounted Within the frame and equipped with an automatic sealing device for sealing the space between the bottom edge of the door and the sill;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the automatic sealing device and sill, a part being broken away to show one of the springs and the manner in which it is mounted;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective View of the rail or bar which effects the seal;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional View substantially on the'line Il-Il of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a door frame F, the opening of which is adapted to be closed by a hingedly mounted door D. The sill I!) extends across the threshold of the door and as indicated in Figure 4, it has downwardly sloping sides II and a horizontally extending flat top portion I2. Preferably, the sill IU is of relatively soft metal such as aluminum or brass.

Formed at the bottom edge of the door D, midway between the sides and extending from side to side, is a socket I3 which is open at the lower end and which is substantially rectangular in cross section. Manifestly, the formation of the socket I3 provides tenon-like portions I4 and I5. Embracing the tenon-like extensions I4 and I5 are sheet metal shields I6 and I'I respectively, each shield being substantially U-shaped in cross 2 section but having a shorter side which extends to the inner end of the socket I3 and a longer wall on the adjacent side of the door. These shields are important in affording adequate strength and rigidity to the lower edge portion of the door and militate against splitting of the l wood of the door and insure the proper and satisfactory action of the sealing member, as will hereinafter appear.

Mounted within the socket I3 and extending substantially from side to side of the door D is a rail or bar I8 which is rectangular in cross section and is preferably of a relatively hard metal such as steel. The lower end of the bar I8 is flat to engage the sill I0 and to ride over one of the sloping faces I I thereof, but normally rests when the door'is in closed position, against the top flat surface I2 of the sill.

Formed in the bottom of the socket I3 are a series of sockets I9 and in registry with sockets 20 formed in the upper portion of the rail I8. Disposed in the registering socketsv I9 and 2l] are coil springs Z'I respectively which urge the lower edge of the bar I8 into engagement with the sill III'. The force of these springs 2| is so chosen as to effect a good seal with the threshold and since the rail is of a hard metal. such as steel, and the sill or threshold is of a softer metal, the rail will form or create its own seat in the top surface I2 of the sill. This also is of advantage in the event of inaccuracy in the positioning of the parts and thereby compensates for such irregularities.l

T-o retain the bar I8 on the door and to limit its outward movement, a series of rivets 23 extend through the shields I and Il and through vertically elongate holes '24 formed in the bar I8. The rivets 23 also serve to retain the shields in the desired position on the door.

It is to be understood that numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement and assembly may be effected without departing from the spirit of the invention especially as dened in the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A device of the class described for installation on a door having an elongate rectangular socket extending substantially throughout the length of the bottom edge thereof, said device comprising a pair of elongate sheet metal shields, each being U-shaped in cross section for embracing the lower edge of the door with portions on the inside and outside of the door respectively, a solid metallic bar rectangular in cross section normally projecting from said socket and vertically movable therein and in sliding engagement with the adja- REFERENCES CITED cent sides of said shields respectively, said bar The following references are of record m the having a series of sockets in the upper edge porme of this patent: tion spaced from each other, helical coil springs in said sockets for urging the bar in a direction 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS toward the bottom edge of the door, a series of Number Name Dai-,e laterally spaced vertically elongate slots in said 1,973,210 Hufnail et a1 Sept, 11, 1934 bar. and rivets extending through said shields 2,445,315 Curley July 20, 1948 and through said slots respectively for limiting the vertical movement of said bar. 10 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date KURT OLIVER PIETRUSHAK. 18,734 Great Britain Aug. 20, 1907 

